Couple seeking consent for new home oppose neighbour's plans

A COUPLE who are seeking planning permission for a second house on their land have opposed a similar application by a neighbour.

Daniel and Jo Bausor, who own the former Fox Inn off the A4130 at Bix, have applied to South Oxfordshire District Council for consent to demolish an outbuilding and build the detached house in its place.

However, they have also objected to plans by the owner of Halfacre, the house next door, to replace the original property with two pairs of semi-detached dwellings.

The couple say the proposal by William Hartley Developments, of London, would be “drastic overdevelopment” of the 0.22-hectare site and wouldn’t provide enough garden and parking space, which would be “unfair” on would-be buyers.

They also claim that the number of cars visiting would increase from one to eight, increasing traffic at a point where the busy carriageway narrows.

The developer wants to build the houses near the roadside with a driveway leading to two more further back. Each property would have two parking bays and would share a ninth for visitors.

They would be in a “cottage” style with red brick walls and tile roofs. A patch of land to the rear would remain untouched. The company says the scheme would add “much-needed small dwelling housing stock to the area”.

But the Bausors said: “The proposed layout is clearly contrived and seeks to maximise the number of houses without paying any heed to local character, specifically the linear form and pattern of development that exists in the immediate vicinity.

“The frontage pair of semis would have a poor standard of amenity given that their gardens would be very close to the road and significantly overshadowed by existing mature trees along the boundary.

“We do not object to the redevelopment of the site but it would be more sensible to build a maximum of two properties for the benefit of the prospective homeowners and to best reflect the surroundings.”

Bix Parish Council also opposes the plans.

The Bausors want to build a four-bedroom house at the eastern edge of their land, near the boundary with Halfacre. They already have consent for a three-bedroom property.

The couple say the house’s appearance would be “sympathetic” to the Grade II listed former inn. Access would be via a separate driveway off the main road.

The house would “deliver a high quality living environment for future occupiers”.

The parish council did not object to the couple’s previous application.